TW201803470A - Fluid permeable heater assembly with cover - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a fluid-permeable heater assembly (10) for an aerosol-generating system. The heater assembly (10) includes a cover (12) including a first cover opening. (16) and the hollow body (14) of the second cover opening (18), wherein the first cover opening (16) is opposite to the second cover opening (18); and a substantially flat conductive fluid is permeable for heating Element (20), wherein the heating element (20) is configured to vaporize the aerosol-forming substrate (22), and wherein the heating element (20) is mounted on the cover (12) so that the heating element (20) extending across the first cover opening (16). The invention further relates to a magazine (40) for an aerosol generating system. The magazine (40) includes the heater assembly (10), and a liquid storage for storing a liquid aerosol-forming substrate (22). Section (36), a cigarette holder (38) for containing the liquid storage section (36), and a component for holding the heater assembly (10) and for holding the heater assembly (10) and the A holder (42) in contact with the liquid storage portion (36). The invention further relates to an aerosol generating system. The aerosol generating system includes a main unit and the magazine, wherein the magazine (40) is detachably coupled to the main unit.

Description

Fluid permeable heater assembly with lid

The present invention relates to an aerosol generating system, such as a handheld electrically operated smoking system. In particular, the present invention relates to a heater assembly for an aerosol generating system, in which a liquid aerosol-forming substrate is vaporized.

Hand-held electrically operated aerosol generation systems are known, which are composed of a device part including a battery and control electronics, a magazine part including a supply of an aerosol-forming substrate held in a liquid storage section, and a vaporizer Electrically operated heater assembly. The cartridge including the aerosol-forming substrate and the vaporizer stored in the liquid storage section is sometimes referred to as a "cartomiser". The heater assembly may include a fluid-permeable heating element that is in contact with a wick-like capillary medium immersed in a liquid aerosol-forming substrate held in a liquid storage portion. The bin part usually includes not only the aerosol-forming substrate supply and the electrically operated heater assembly, but also a cigarette holder, and the user sucks through the cigarette holder during use to suck the aerosol into their mouth.

A heater assembly having a fluid permeable heating element may have a fragile structure. The components of the heater assembly may be easily transported, Displacement during packaging and use. Manufacturing a magazine with such a heater assembly can be difficult.

It is desirable to provide an improved heater assembly for an aerosol generation system that allows for lower cost manufacturing and provides a more rigid structure in order to prevent displacement of components of the heater assembly.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a fluid-permeable heater assembly for an aerosol generating system is provided. The heater assembly includes a cover, and the cover includes a hollow body having first and second cover openings. Wherein the first cover opening is opposite to the second cover opening; and a substantially flat conductive fluid permeable heating element, wherein the heating element is configured to vaporize the aerosol-forming substrate, and wherein the heating element It is mounted on the lid so that the heating element extends across the first lid opening.

The solution provided here is to mount a lid with a hollow body to the heating element to improve the stability of the heating element and to provide guidance of a capillary medium that can be arranged in the hollow body of the lid. The use of the cover can simplify the manufacture of the heater assembly and improve the rigidity of the heater assembly.

Another object of the heater assembly according to the present invention can cover a filled magazine. The idea is to pre-assemble all the parts of the heater assembly and, however, operate this one-piece assembly to facilitate the closure of the magazine.

As used herein, the term "substantially flat" means that it was originally formed in a single plane and was not framed or otherwise conformed to a curved or other non-planar shape. As used herein, "conductive" means that it is formed of a material with a resistivity of 1x10 ^-4 ohms · m or less. As used herein, "conductive" means that it is formed of a material with a resistivity of 1x10 ^-4 ohms · m or less. As used herein, "fluid-permeable" with respect to a heater assembly means that the aerosol-forming substrate in the gas phase or possibly in the liquid phase can easily pass through the heating element of the heater assembly.

The heater assembly includes a cover formed of a material that has a high thermal decomposition temperature and can tolerate rapid temperature changes. The heating element is supported on the lid. Preferably, the lid is shaped from plastic particles. The plastic particles may be made of polyetheretherketone (PEEK), liquid crystal polymer (LCP), or any other polymer material. Preferably, the cover material is overmolded on the lower side of the heating element. More preferably, the lid is made of VICTREX PEEK through over-molding on a mesh strip. The lower side of the heating element is open toward the first cover. It is advantageous to overmold the cover on the underside of the heating element, as no additional mounting material like terminals is needed to secure the heating element to the cover.

Preferably, the lid has a size sufficient for the liquid storage portion to be at least 1.5 mm (preferably between 3 mm and 6 mm) away from the heating element so as to provide a sufficient temperature drop across the lid. Thus, in such embodiments, the liquid storage portion may be made of a more cost-effective material (eg, polyethylene or polypropylene) with a lower thermal decomposition temperature.

The heater assembly further includes a substantially flat heating element allowing a simple structure. Geometrically, the term "substantially flat" conductive heating element is used to refer to a topological manifold in a roughly two-dimensional topology. manifold). Therefore, the substantially flat conductive heating element extends approximately two-dimensionally rather than three-dimensionally along the surface. In particular, the dimensions of the substantially flat heating element are at least 5 times larger in the surface toward two dimensions toward the third dimension (perpendicular to the surface). An example of a substantially flat heating element is a structure between two substantially parallel imaginary surfaces, where the distance between the two imaginary surfaces is substantially smaller than the extensions within the surfaces. In some embodiments, the substantially flat heating element is planar. In other embodiments, the substantially flat heating element is curved along one or more dimensions, for example, forming a dome shape or a bridge shape.

The term "conductive wire" is used throughout the specification to refer to an electrical path provided between two electrical contacts. The conductive wire can be arbitrarily branched and split into several paths or conductive wires or can be converged into one path from several electric paths. The conductive wire may have a circular, square, flat, or any other cross-sectional shape. The conductive wires can be arranged in a straight or curved manner.

The term "heating element" is used throughout the specification to refer to an arrangement of conductive wires or preferably a plurality of conductive wires. The heating element may be, for example, an array of conductive wires arranged in parallel to each other. The heating element is fluid permeable. When the heating element is installed across the first cover opening, the heating element can be cut to provide an open area. Preferably, the open area can be manufactured by cutting a beveled window from each side of the heating element. Preferably, the conductive wire may form a mesh. The mesh can be woven or non-woven. The mesh can be formed using different types of woven or lattice structures. Alternatively, the conductive heating elements are parallel to each other An array of arranged conductive wires. The mesh, array, or fabric of the conductive wire may also have the property of retaining liquid.

In a preferred embodiment, the substantially flat heating element may be constructed from a wire forming a wire mesh. Preferably, the meshes have a plain weave design. Preferably, the heating element is a metal wire mesh made of a mesh strip.

The conductive wire may define a gap between the wires, and the gap may have a width between 10 microns and 100 microns. Preferably, the conductive wire causes a capillary action in the gap so as to draw the liquid to be vaporized into the gap during use, thereby increasing the contact area between the heating element and the liquid aerosol-forming substrate.

The conductive wire can form a mesh (+/- 10%) with a size of 60 to 240 wires per cm. Preferably, the mesh density is 100 to 140 conductive wires (+/- 10%) per cm. More preferably, the mesh density is about 115 conductive wires per cm. The width of the gap can be between 100 microns and 25 microns, preferably between 80 microns and 70 microns, and more preferably, about 74 microns. The percentage of the open area of the mesh is the ratio of the area of the gap to the total area of the mesh, which can be between 40% and 90%, preferably between 85% and 80%, more preferably also , About 82%. Throughout the description, the density of such a mesh is referred to as the "first mesh density."

In addition, the mesh may have one or more portions with increased mesh density (referred to as "second mesh density"), wherein the gap between the conductive wires is below 5 microns, preferably, Below 2 microns, more preferably, about 1 micron. One or more portions of the mesh with increased mesh density are referred to as "dense areas" throughout the specification.

The conductive wire may have a diameter between 8 microns and 100 microns, preferably between 10 microns and 50 microns, and more preferably between 12 microns and 25 microns. The conductive wire may have a circular cross section, or may have a flat cross section.

The area of the mesh, array, or fabric of the conductive wire may be less than or equal to 50 square millimeters, preferably less than or equal to 25 square millimeters, and more preferably, about 15 square millimeters. The size is selected so that the heating element is incorporated into the handheld system. The size of the mesh, array, or fabric of conductive wire less than or equal to 50 square millimeters is set to reduce the amount of total power required to heat the mesh, array, or fabric of the conductive wire, while still ensuring that the mesh, Full contact of the array or fabric with the liquid aerosol-forming substrate. The mesh, array, or fabric of the conductive wire may be, for example, rectangular and have a length between 2 micrometers and 10 millimeters and a width between 2 micrometers and 10 micrometers. Preferably, the mesh has a size of about 5 mm x 3 mm. The mesh or array of conductive wires may cover an area between 30% and 90% of the open area of the first cover opening across which the heating element extends. Preferably, the mesh or array of conductive wires covers an area between 50% and 70% of the open area of the first cover opening. More preferably, the mesh or array of conductive wires covers an area between 55% and 65% of the open area of the first cover opening.

The conductive wire of the heating element may be formed of any material having suitable electrical characteristics. Suitable materials include, but are not limited to: semiconductors like doped ceramics, "conductive" ceramics (e.g., molybdenum disilicide), carbon, graphite, metals, metal alloys, and composite materials made of ceramic and metallic materials . Such composite materials may include doped or undoped ceramics. Examples of suitable doped ceramics include doped silicon carbide. Suitable gold Examples of metals include titanium, zirconium, tantalum, and platinum group metals.

Examples of suitable metal alloys include stainless steel, constantan, nickel, cobalt, chromium, aluminum, titanium, zirconium, hafnium, niobium, molybdenum, tantalum, tungsten, tin, gallium , Alloys containing manganese and iron, and super alloys based on nickel, iron, cobalt, stainless steel, Timetal®, iron-aluminum-based alloys and iron-manganese-aluminum-based alloys. Timetal® is a registered trademark of Titanium Metals Corporation. The conductive wire may be coated with one or more insulators. The preferred materials for the conductive wire are stainless steel and graphite, preferably 300 series stainless steels like AISI 304, 316, 304L and 316L. In addition, the conductive heating element may include a combination of the above materials. The combination of materials can be used to improve the control of the resistance of a generally flat heating element. For example, materials with high intrinsic resistance can be combined with materials with low intrinsic resistance. The above may be advantageous if one of these materials is more beneficial from another point of view (e.g., price, processability, or other special and chemical parameters). Advantageously, a substantially flat conductive wire configuration with increased resistance reduces parasitic losses. Advantageously, the high-resistivity heater allows a more efficient use of battery energy.

Preferably, the conductive wire is made of a metal wire. More preferably, the wire is made of metal, and most preferably, is made of stainless steel.

The resistance of the mesh, array or fabric of the conductive wire of the heating element may be between 0.3 ohms and 4 ohms. Preferably, the resistance is equal to or greater than 0.5 ohms. More preferably, the resistance of the mesh, array, or fabric of the conductive wire is between 0.6 ohms and 0.8 ohms, and most preferably, about 0.68 ohms. The resistance of the mesh, array or fabric of the conductive wire is greater than that of the conductive contact The resistance of the contact area is preferably at least one order of magnitude, more preferably at least two orders of magnitude. This ensures that the heat generated by passing a current through the heating element is limited to the mesh or array of conductive wires. Advantageously, if the system is powered by a battery, the heating element has a low total resistance. The low resistance and high current system allows high power to be transmitted to the heating element. This allows the heating element to quickly heat the conductive wire to the desired temperature.

The hollow body of the lid may be configured to contain a capillary medium. Preferably, the heater assembly includes a body material member made of a capillary medium for retaining a liquid aerosol-forming substrate. At least a part of the body material piece may be disposed in a hollow body between the first cover opening and the second cover opening.

Advantageously, the size of the lid and the body material can be made to have a cross-sectional area of approximately the same size. As used herein, approximately the same size means that the cross-sectional area of the lid including the first lid opening can be less than or greater than 30% of the capillary material. The shape of the internal space of the hollow body of the lid may also be similar to that of the capillary material, so that the assembly and the material approximately overlap. Preferably, the body material is substantially the same in size and shape as the internal space of the hollow body. Preferably, the internal space of the hollow body is substantially cylindrical. The volume of the internal space of the hollow body may be between 50 cubic millimeters and 500 cubic millimeters, preferably between 100 cubic millimeters and 250 cubic millimeters, and more preferably about 150 cubic millimeters.

The body material piece may be disposed at least partially in contact with the heating element. When assemblies and materials are roughly similar in size and shape, they can simplify manufacturing and improve the robustness of the manufacturing process.

Preferably, the heater assembly includes a conveying material piece made of a capillary medium for conveying the liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the main material piece to the heating element. The piece of conveyed material may be placed in contact with the heating element. Preferably, the conveying material piece is arranged between the heating element and the main material piece. In this case, the body material piece is not in direct contact with the heating element.

The conveying material piece may be made of a material capable of ensuring that the liquid aerosol-forming substrate is in contact with at least a portion of the surface of the heating element extending across the opening of the first cover. The piece of conveyed material may be in contact with the conductive wire. The piece of conveyed material may extend into the gap between the conductive wires. The heating element can suck the liquid aerosol-forming matrix into the gap by capillary action. Preferably, the conveying material piece is in contact with the conductive wire over substantially the entire range of the open area of the first cover opening.

Capillary materials are materials that actively transport liquid from one end of the material to the other. The capillary material can be oriented directly or indirectly through another capillary medium to contact the liquid storage portion, and then the liquid aerosol is formed toward the heating element to form a matrix.

The capillary material may include even two or more capillary materials, which include one or more layers of capillary material in direct contact with the mesh, array, or fabric of the conductive wire of the heating element in order to promote aerosol generation.

The capillary material may have a fibrous or sponge structure. The capillary material preferably includes a bundle of capillaries. For example, a capillary material may include a plurality of fibers or threads or other fine-pored tubes. The fibers or threads may be substantially aligned to deliver a liquid aerosol-forming matrix toward the heating element. Alternatively, the capillary material may include a sponge-like or foam-like material. Structure of capillary material A plurality of small holes or tubes are formed, and the liquid aerosol is transported by capillary action through these small holes or tubes to form a matrix. The capillary material may include any suitable material or combination of materials. Suitable materials are, for example, sponge or foam materials, ceramic or graphite-based materials in the form of fibers or sintered powders, expanded metal or plastic materials, for example, by spinning or extruding fibers (e.g., cellulose acetate, polyester or agglomerates Polyolefin, polyethylene, polyester or polypropylene fibers, nylon fibers or ceramics). Capillary materials can have any suitable capillary and porous properties for use in different liquid physical properties. The liquid aerosol-forming substrate has physical properties, including, but not limited to, viscosity, surface tension, density, thermal conductivity, boiling point, and vapor pressure. These allow the liquid aerosol-forming substrate to be transported by capillary action via capillary media.

At least one of these capillary materials may have sufficient volume to ensure that a minimal amount of liquid aerosol-forming matrix is present in the capillary material to avoid "dry heating". Dry heating occurs when insufficient liquid aerosol-forming substrate is provided to the capillary material in contact with the mesh, array, or fabric of the conductive wire. The capillary material can be provided with a minimum volume to allow the user to smoke between 20 and 40 cigarettes. The average amount of liquid aerosol matrix that is volatilized during one smoking period of 1 to 4 seconds is usually between 1 and 4 mg. Therefore, providing at least one capillary material having a volume capable of retaining 20 to 160 mg of a liquid aerosol-forming substrate can prevent dry heating.

The cover can accommodate two or more different capillary materials, wherein the conveying material piece in contact with the heating element can have a higher thermal decomposition temperature, and the conveying material piece in contact with the conveying material piece but not in contact with the heating element The body material piece may have a lower thermal decomposition temperature. The conveying material piece effectively acts as a spacer that separates the heating element from the body material piece so that the body material piece is not exposed to a temperature higher than its thermal decomposition temperature. As used herein, "thermal decomposition temperature" means the temperature at which a material begins to decompose and loses mass due to the generation of gaseous by-products. The body material piece can advantageously occupy a larger volume than the material piece being conveyed, and thus can accommodate more aerosol-forming substrates than the material piece being conveyed. Compared with the conveying material, the main material can have excellent wicking performance. The body material pieces can be cheaper than the conveying material pieces. The body material may be polypropylene.

The conveying material piece may separate the heating element from the main material piece by a distance of at least 0.5 mm, preferably between 0.5 mm and 2 mm, and more preferably, about 0.75 mm in order to provide the entire conveying material piece. Enough temperature drop.

Preferably, the lid includes a holder having a holder opening. The holder may be a flat disc covering at least the first lid opening and having a thickness between 0.25 mm and 5 mm (preferably between 0.5 mm and 2.5 mm, and more preferably about 0.8 mm) . The holder opening may have a size between 10 mm2 and 50 mm2 (preferably between 20 mm2 and 30 mm2, and more preferably, about 25 mm2). The holder may cover the first cover opening such that the holder opening overlaps at least a portion of the first cover opening. The heating element can be mounted on a holder. The surface of the holder is in contact with the heating element and represents a contact area. This contact area increases the contact area compared to a cover without a holder. Supporter will first cover The size of the opening is reduced to that of the holder. Enlarging the contact area between the holder and the heating element can improve the rigidity of the heater assembly, so that the heater assembly can be easily assembled. Preferably, the cover including the holder is overmolded on the underside of the heating element.

Preferably, the cover is integrally formed. The integrally formed lid may include a holder.

Preferably, the piece of conveyed material is arranged in the holder opening. Preferably, the piece of conveyed material has a size and shape substantially the same as the opening of the holder.

Preferably, the cover includes at least one wall to constitute a hollow body extending from the holder. Preferably, the wall extends vertically to the holder. Preferably, the wall extends in a manner perpendicular to the plane of the heating element.

The heating element may have at least two conductive contact areas. The conductive contact area may be positioned in an edge area of the heating element.

Preferably, each of the at least two conductive contact areas is positioned in a dense area of the heating element. The conductive contact area can be positioned on the end of the heating element. The conductive contact area can be fixed directly to the conductive wire. The conductive contact area may include a tin patch. Alternatively, the conductive contact area may be integrated with the conductive wire.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a magazine for an aerosol generating system is provided, the magazine includes a heater assembly according to the first aspect of the present invention, and a liquid storage section for storing liquid gas. The sol forms a substrate; and a holder for holding the components of the heater assembly and for holding the heater assembly in contact with the liquid storage portion.

Preferably, the magazine comprises smoke for containing the liquid storage section. mouth.

Preferably, the main body material is arranged in the inner space of the hollow body of the cover of the heater assembly. The piece of conveying material may be arranged in a holder opening to cover the holder of the first cover opening. The lid serves as a rigid casing for conveying the material pieces and the body material pieces. The holder keeps the heater assembly in contact with the liquid storage portion through the conveying material part and the main body material part. Preferably, the proximal end of the wall of the lid abuts the holder and the distal end of the wall of the lid engages the liquid storage portion.

The magazine can be a disposable item. Once the liquid storage part of the magazine is empty or below the minimum volume threshold, it can be replaced with a new magazine. Preferably, the magazine is pre-filled with a liquid aerosol-forming substrate. The magazine can be refillable.

The magazine and its components can be made of a thermoplastic polymer like polyetheretherketone (PEEK).

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aerosol generating system including a main unit and a magazine according to the second aspect of the present invention, wherein the magazine is detachably coupled to the main unit.

The aerosol generating system may be an electrically operated smoking system.

As used herein, the magazine "detachably coupled" to the main unit means that the magazine and the main unit can be coupled and detached from each other without significantly damaging the main unit or the magazine.

The aerosol generating system may further include a circuit connected to the heater assembly and a power source, the circuit configured to monitor the resistance of the heater assembly or the resistance of one or more conductive wires of the heater assembly, and the basis Heater assembly or resistance of one or more conductive wires Power the heater assembly.

The circuit may include a microprocessor, and the microprocessor may be a programmable microprocessor. The circuit may include additional electronic components. The circuit may be configured to regulate power to the heater assembly. After the system is started, power can be continuously supplied to the heater assembly, or intermittently, such as on a cigarette-by-smoke basis. Electricity may be supplied to the heater assembly in the form of a current pulse.

The aerosol-generating system advantageously includes a power source, typically a battery, located within the housing body. Alternatively, the power source may be another form of charge storage device like a capacitor. The power source may need to be recharged and may have a capacity that allows storage of sufficient energy for one or more smoking experiences; for example, the power source may have sufficient capacity to allow continuous generation of aerosols for periods or up to about six minutes Multiples of the period. In another example, the power source may have sufficient capacity to allow discontinuous activation of a predetermined number of cigarettes or heater assembly.

Preferably, the aerosol generating system includes a housing. Preferably, the housing is elongated. The housing may include any suitable material or combination of materials. Examples of suitable materials include metals, alloys, plastics or composites containing one or more of those materials or thermoplastics suitable for food or pharmaceutical applications, such as polypropylene, polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and polyethylene. Preferably, the material is light and not brittle.

Preferably, the aerosol generating system is portable. The aerosol-generating system may be comparable in size to a conventional cigar or cigarette. The smoking system may have a total length between about 30 mm and about 150 mm. The smoking system may have an outer diameter between about 5 mm and about 30 mm.

Aerosol-forming substrates are substrates capable of releasing aerosol-forming volatile compounds. Volatile compounds can be released by heating the aerosol to form a matrix.

The aerosol-forming substrate may include a plant-based material. The aerosol-forming substrate may include tobacco. The aerosol-forming substrate may include a tobacco-containing material containing a volatile tobacco flavor compound, which is released from the aerosol-forming matrix upon heating. The aerosol-forming substrate may alternatively include a tobacco-free material. The aerosol-forming substrate may include a material based on a homogenized plant. The aerosol-forming substrate may include a homogenized tobacco material. The aerosol-forming substrate may include at least one aerosol formation. The aerosol-forming substrate may include other additives and ingredients, such as perfumes.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a fluid-permeable heater assembly according to the first aspect is provided. The method includes a method of providing a substantially flat conductive heating element and a cover on the heating element. Overmolding step on one side edge area. The lid includes a hollow body having first and second lid openings. The first cover opening is opposite the second cover opening. The heating element is mounted on the lid so that the heating element extends across the first lid opening.

The step of providing a heating element may include providing a mesh strip. The mesh belt may include an alternating sequence of mesh portions of a first mesh density and a second mesh density. The higher density part can increase the stability of the mesh when processing the mesh.

The step of providing the heating element may further include die-cutting a bevel window from each side of the mesh portion of the first mesh density and from the first mesh. Density is removed by cutting the mesh part of the cut.

Preferably, the first grid density is lower than the second grid density.

Preferably, the step of overmolding the cover on an edge region on one side of the heating element includes preheating the plastic particles, injecting the plastic particles into a mold for manufacturing the cover, and overmolding the cover to a second grid density On the underside of the grid section.

Preferably, the step of overmolding the cover on the edge area on one side of the heating element further includes cutting the heater assembly from the mesh belt and removing debris from the heater assembly.

Preferably, the step of cutting the heater assembly from the mesh belt includes die-cutting the mesh from the mesh belt, wherein the heating element includes the mesh, and wherein the mesh is tied to the second mesh density. The mesh portion of the mesh is cut so that the mesh portion including the mesh portion of the first mesh density is defined by the mesh portion of the second mesh density on each of the two ends of the cut mesh.

Preferably, the method for manufacturing the fluid-permeable heater assembly according to the first aspect of the present invention further includes connecting each of the at least two conductive contact regions to an edge region on the other side of the heating element.

The step of connecting each of the at least two conductive contact areas to the edge area on the other side of the heating element may include providing a tin foil strip from the tin foil in a size conforming to the shape and size of the grid portion of the second grid density Strip the tin foil patches and press the tin foil patches onto the grid portion of the second grid density. It may be advantageous if the foil is made of a material softer than the material of the heating element.

Preferably, the method for manufacturing the fluid-permeable heater assembly according to the first aspect of the present invention further comprises inspecting the heater assembly.

Preferably, the steps of inspecting the heater assembly include transporting the heater assembly to an inspection station, measuring the resistance of the heating element of the manufactured heater assembly, visually inspecting the correct number of wires of the heating element, and clean removal of the mesh. , Correct grid integrity, debris and tin foil adhesion, and if the heater assembly does not reach at least one of the desired resistance of the heating element and the desired result of a visual inspection, discard the heater assembly.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for manufacturing a fluid-permeable heater assembly according to the fourth aspect.

In order to manufacture a heater assembly including a cover and a substantially flat conductive heating element with a mesh, the device for manufacturing a fluid permeable heater assembly may include at least one of the following equipment units:-a mesh belt tube A feeding unit for providing a mesh belt comprising an alternating sequence of mesh portions of a first mesh density and a second mesh density;-a tin foil tube feeding unit for providing a Tin foil strips;-a tin foil cutting station to indicate the length of the tin foil to be positioned on the grid portion of the second grid density and to cut tin pieces from the provided tin foil strips;-a tin foil press Station for compacting and connecting the tin pieces to the upper surface of the mesh part of the second mesh density;-a window cutting station for removing the mesh from the first mesh density Beveled windows are die cut on each side of the section;-a first cleaning station for cleaning and Vacuuming the surface of the cut grid portion of the first grid density to remove debris, and removing loose wires, small particles, dust or debris from the cut grid portion of the first grid density; -An injection molding machine for preheating the plastic particles and injecting the plastic particles into a mold for manufacturing the lid;-a mesh injection over-molding tool (possibly having a single mold Cavity or several mold cavities) for overmolding the cover onto the lower side of the mesh portion of the second mesh density;-a heater assembly cutting station for The object is die-cut from the mesh belt to cut the heater assembly from the mesh belt, the heating element includes the mesh, and the mesh is a mesh of a second mesh density A portion of the mesh is cut such that the mesh portion including the first mesh density is defined by the mesh portion of the second mesh density on each of the two ends of the cut mesh ;-A second cleaning station for cleaning by air pressure and the addition of debris to be removed The surface of the heater assembly is vacuumed to remove loose wires from the mesh;-a transfer unit for transporting the heater assembly to a heater assembly inspection station, which may include A heater assembly resistance measuring station, a heater assembly visual inspection station, and a heater assembly discarding station;-a network designated pressure test station;-a heater assembly resistance measurement station for measuring the network Resistance of the object and the tin foil strip of the manufactured heater assembly; -A heater assembly visual inspection station for visually inspecting the heater assembly; and-a heater assembly discarding station for discarding heater assemblies exceeding specifications.

In a preferred manufacturing process, the device automatically manufactures the heater assembly from mesh belts, tin foil strips, and plastic particles. The heater assembly includes a cover and a generally flat conductive heating element.

A preferred manufacturing procedure according to the fourth aspect of the present invention may include manual charging of at least one of a mesh belt bobbin, a tin foil bobbin, and plastic particles. The preferred manufacturing procedure may further include at least one of the method steps performed automatically by the manufacturing equipment:-providing a mesh belt including an alternating mesh portion of the first mesh density and the second mesh density Sequence;-Provide a tin foil strip;-Indicate the length of the tin foil to be positioned on the grid portion of the second grid density;-Cut the tin foil from the provided tin foil strip;-Compact the tin foils And on the upper surface of the mesh portion connected to the second mesh density;-die-cutting a bevel window from each side of the mesh portion of the first mesh density;-cleaning and Removing the debris on the surface of the cut grid portion of the first grid density to vacuum, and removing loose wires, small particles, dust or debris from the cut grid portion of the first grid density; -Preheating the plastic particles;-injecting the plastic particles into a mold for manufacturing the lid;-overmolding the lid onto the lower side of the mesh portion of the second mesh density;-by applying A mesh is die-cut from the mesh belt to cut the heater assembly from the mesh belt, the heating element includes the mesh, and the mesh is tied to a second mesh density The mesh portion is cut away so that the mesh portion including the mesh portion of the first mesh density is subjected to the mesh portion of the second mesh density on each of the two ends of the cut mesh. Limited;-by air pressure cleaning and vacuuming the surface of the mesh to remove debris, remove loose wires, small particles, dust or debris from the mesh;-transport the heater Assembly to an inspection station;-Measure the resistance of the mesh of the manufactured heater assembly;-Visually check the correct number of wires in the heater assembly, clean removal of the mesh, correct mesh integrity, Debris and tin foil adhere; and-if out of specification, discard the heater assembly.

The features described with respect to one aspect of the invention may be applied to other aspects of the invention.

10‧‧‧heater assembly

12‧‧‧ lid

14‧‧‧ hollow body

16‧‧‧First cover opening

18‧‧‧Second lid opening

20‧‧‧Heating element

24‧‧‧Primary Materials

26‧‧‧Conveying materials

28‧‧‧ Supporter

30‧‧‧ holder opening

32‧‧‧ Mesh

36‧‧‧Liquid storage department

38‧‧‧ cigarette holder

40‧‧‧ magazine

42‧‧‧ mesh belt

42‧‧‧ retainer

44‧‧‧ the first grid part

46‧‧‧Second grid section

50‧‧‧ tin foil

The implementation of the present invention will be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings. For example, in the drawings: FIG. 1A is a three-dimensional top view of a heater assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1B is a three-dimensional bottom view of a heater assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1C is an exploded perspective view of a heater assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a sectional, top and perspective views of a cover and a holder according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is implemented according to one of the present invention Top view of a support, heating element and contact area of an example; FIG. 4 is a top view of a mesh with two different mesh densities according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is one of the present invention Top side view of a mesh belt used to make a mesh according to an embodiment; FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a magazine for an aerosol generation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1A shows a heater assembly 10 including a lid 12 having a first lid opening 16 on the top of the lid and a second lid opening 18 on the bottom of the lid 12. The first cover opening 16 is covered by a holder 28 having a holder opening 30. The heater assembly 10 further includes a heating element 20 extending across the holder opening 30.

FIG. 1B shows the heater assembly 10 from a bottom view. The interior space of the hollow body 14 of the cover 12 becomes visible.

FIG. 1C shows the components of the heating element 20 including the mesh 32. The mesh 32 has a first mesh portion 44 of a first mesh density and a second mesh portion 46 of a second mesh density on each of its ends, wherein the second mesh density is higher than the first mesh density A grid density. The tin foil sheet 50 is connected to each of the two mesh portions 46 of the second mesh density. The heating element 20 and its mesh 32 are each configured to span the holder openings 30 of the holder 28 on the top of the lid 12. The entire grid portion 44 of the first grid density is disposed on the holder opening 30.

Figure 2 shows the lid 12 and its holder 28. The holder 28 may be a separate piece. Preferably, the holder 28 is an integral part of the cover 12 as a whole. The inside of the hollow body 14 of the lid 12 is cylindrical in this system. Sections A-A and B-B of FIG. 2 show the integrally formed cover 12 and its holder 28, and the perspective view of FIG. 2 shows the holder 28 as individual parts. Sections AA and BB of FIG. 2 show that the first cover opening 16 is partially closed by the holder 28, so that only a small portion of the first cover opening 16 (referred to as the holder opening 30) remains open and the heating element can be extended across .

FIG. 3 shows the holder 28 constituting the individual parts of the cover 12, with the heating element 20 being mounted such that the mesh portion 44 of the first mesh density extends across the holder opening 30.

FIG. 4 shows the mesh 32 of the heating element 20. The mesh 32 includes a mesh portion 44 of a first mesh density and a second mesh portion 46 of a second mesh density on each of its ends.

FIG. 5 shows a mesh belt 42 from which some meshes 32 can be die cut.

FIG. 6 shows a magazine 40 according to an embodiment of the invention. The magazine 40 includes a heater assembly 10 having a lid 12 and a heating element 20 disposed on a holder 28 of the lid 12. A carrier material piece 26 is disposed in the holder opening 30 of the holder 28. A body material piece 24 is disposed in the inner space of the hollow body 14 of the lid 12. The lid 12 serves as a rigid housing for the conveying material piece 26 and the body material piece 24. The magazine 40 further includes a liquid storage portion for storing a liquid aerosol-forming substrate. The holder 42 is used to hold the components of the heater assembly 10 and keep the heater assembly 10 in contact with the liquid storage portion 36 through the conveying material piece 26 and the main body material piece 24. In addition, the magazine 40 includes a cigarette holder 38, and a liquid storage portion 36 is disposed in the cigarette holder 38.

The exemplary embodiments described above are illustrative and not restrictive. In view of the above-described exemplary embodiments, other embodiments that currently conform to the above-described exemplary embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains.

10‧‧‧heater assembly

12‧‧‧ lid

20‧‧‧Heating element

28‧‧‧ Supporter

Claims (13)

A fluid permeable heater assembly (10) for an aerosol generating system, the heater assembly (10) comprising: a cover (12), the cover (12) including a first cover opening (16) And a hollow body (14) of the second cover opening (18), wherein the first cover opening (16) is opposite to the second cover opening (18), wherein the cover (12) is integrally formed and It further includes a holder (28) having a holder opening (30), wherein the holder (28) covers the first cover opening (16) so that the holder opening (30) and the first cover opening (16) at least partially overlapping; and a generally flat conductive fluid permeable heating element (20), wherein the heating element (20) is configured to vaporize the aerosol-forming substrate (22), and wherein the heating element ( 20) is mounted on the holder (12) so that the heating element (20) extends across the first cover opening (16). The heater assembly (10) according to claim 1, further comprising a body material piece (24) configured to retain the liquid aerosol-forming substrate (22), wherein the body material piece (24) At least a part is arranged in the hollow body (14) between the first cover opening (16) and the second cover opening (18). The heater assembly (10) according to claim 2, wherein the body material piece (24) is substantially the same in size and shape as the inner space of the hollow body (14). The heater assembly (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the internal space of the hollow body (14) is substantially cylindrical. The heater assembly (10) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the body material piece (24) is disposed at least partially in contact with the heating element (20). The heater assembly (10) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising a heater configured to transport the liquid aerosol-forming substrate (22) from the main body member (24) to the heating element. The conveying material piece (26) of (20), and wherein the conveying material piece (26) is arranged in contact with the heating element (20) and is arranged between the heating element (20) and the main material piece (24) And among them, the heating element (20) is mounted on the holder (28). The heater assembly (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the conveying material piece (26) is arranged in the holder opening (30). The heater assembly (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the conveying material piece (26) is substantially the same in size and shape as the holder opening (30). The heater assembly (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the heating element (20) includes a mesh (32) having at least two conductive contact areas (34), the conductive contact Each of the regions is positioned in an edge region of the heating element (20), and wherein the mesh (32) extends across at least a portion of the first lid opening (16). The heater assembly (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the at least two conductive contact areas (34) is positioned in a dense area of the heating element (20). A magazine (40) for an aerosol generation system, the magazine (40) includes Including: the heater assembly (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 10; a liquid storage section (36) for storing the liquid aerosol-forming substrate (22); and a holder (42) ), Which is used to hold the components of the heater assembly (10) and to keep the heater assembly (10) in contact with the liquid storage portion (36). The magazine (40) according to claim 11, the magazine (40) further comprises: a cigarette holder (38), which is used for accommodating the liquid storage part (36). An aerosol generating system includes a main unit and a magazine (40) according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the magazine (40) is detachably coupled to the main unit.